Awkward
by Nikkolite
Summary: Hinata has no idea what's going on... So why is Naruto acting so awkward?


**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of Naruto - Masashi Kishimoto does.

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_**Awkward**_

Hinata watched the back of Naruto's head as they were walking, worried out of her mind. After he had asked her to come meet him there in the field, she had thought and felt something out of place once they caught sight of each other. Not many words were coming out from his usually active mouth (and by active, I don't just mean how much he talks…or eats), and she was the one who mostly ran the conversation the whole time.

_Huh_. Well, it wasn't the first time she did, but he'd usually comment after practically every other sentence. He barely said a three-worded sentence to her.

Hinata, who was about two feet behind Naruto, walked quickly to his side to look at his face. And there it was…that spaced-out look she expected. It wasn't the spaced-out look that you'd see from him after he boasts about being Hokage one day. It wasn't that spaced-out look that you'd see from him after a conversation with the Kyuubi…nor was it the one when he's absolutely confused.

No, it was that spaced-out look that you'd see from him when he's nervously thinking of some sort of secret he doesn't want you to know, or just doesn't know how to say to you.

And it was only twice that Hinata had seen that rare look from her beloved.

The first time takes us back 10 years ago, when they were 12-year-old genins. It was that moment before Naruto's match with Neji, to whom he held a grudge against at that time. He had that nervous, yet cocky smile plastered on his face, when inside, his confidence was slowly hitting rock bottom. In his mind were most likely mental images of the worst case scenario...

Of course, she – the nice, caring, and _loving_ person she was – had successfully kicked the burden that is his doubts off of his back by telling him that he was a "proud failure," a strong person because of his resilience and powerful influence on others.

The second time she had seen that look was exactly 3 years, 3 months, 3 days, and 3 hours ago. _Wow_. Of course, she wouldn't let anyone know that she was really keeping track…that would just be plain weird…and not the good kind Naruto had called her back then (however, she realized that she was _way_ passed that point of Naruto's what-I-think-of-Hinata-o-meter when he had asked her to be his girlfriend 3 years, 3 months, 3 days, and 3 hours ago).

So many things had happened that night, and a handful of them were embarrassing on his part. Like that one time when he started walking backwards to face her, and he accidentally bumped his head against a protruding branch when they were under a tree. He bent down and yelped out in pain as he tried to stop the growing of a very spherical bump on the back of his head. When Hinata quickly bent down to see if she could help somehow, they looked at each other in the eyes. He told her how much he loved the way her eyes seem to glow that night.

Of course, being that shy, humble person she was, she had blushed that blush she blushes whenever he gives her a compliment (yes, she has a specific blush for a specific situation). She then blushed that blush she blushes whenever Naruto would hold her hands and tell her things she could only imagine from her wildest dreams (and this is when Naruto really thought about classifying each of her blushes), because Naruto asked for her hand in_..._um..._courtship._

After she had said yes, Naruto completely ignored the bump on the back of his head and jumped up with an ecstatic, joyful yell. Well, it sounded joyful, but Hinata wasn't so sure because it was cut off by his head bumping against the tree branch again. She slightly giggled at how he almost looked like Mickey Mouse that night.

"Hinata?"

She quickly turned her head to look at him. _Seriously_, what was with them today? Had someone placed a space-out spell on them or somethin'? He didn't seem to notice that she had been out of it, though - he was looking straight ahead. It seemed as if he didn't want to face her.

The thought gave Hinata an uncomfortable feeling. She chose to toss that thought back somewhere out of the blue. "Anything wrong, Naruto-kun? You're…unusually quiet."

"Um…" while he was trying to look for the right words to say, he started speed-walking.

_Okay then_. Hinata started speed-walking to catch up. Naruto slowed back down to his original pace, and so did she.

"Well, you see…" He started walking faster again.

Hinata did the same, wondering. _What's he doing?_ She slowed down as he did the same again. "Naruto-kun? Are you –"

He inhaled, slightly turning his head to face her. He never met her eyes. "Hinata, I…" He started walking faster _again_.

_Is he trying to avoid me? Wait a minute. Was he trying to…_

_...No._

_No freakin' way_.

He stopped walking, and so did she. He sat down on the bench beside them and patted the space next to him. "We should sit, Hinata."

Hinata stared at him. _He isn't going to break up with me, is he?_ As she was about to sit, Naruto stood back up and waved his hands in front of him, saying, "No, no, no, wait! Don't sit. Just um…stand right there."

She raised her eyebrow. "Okay, Naruto-kun."

She observed him as he pondered for a while, squinted his eyes, and frowning. "Actually, we should keep walking."

As they did, he continued walking in an inconsistent pace. "Naruto-kun, is there anything bothering you?" _Is it me? _That haunting feeling now made her chest tighten. She could feel her heart pulsing everywhere in her body, and her hands quivered from the tense atmosphere they were in.

As they went under the shade of a tree, Naruto's eyes widened. He looked above to find...well, a tree. He looked around, then finally faced Hinata, but his gaze was fixed at the tree trunk behind her. "Can we sit for a sec?"

She just nodded as she was about to sit against the tree, but he grabbed her hands and prevented her to continue. "No, wait, stay standing!"

_I've had it. I need to know what is going on._ "Naruto, please tell me what's bothering you." She said, her eyes pleading.

Naruto broke eye-contact, but Hinata still held his hands in a firm grip. "Naruto, please, tell me. I can help you." Her throat suddenly felt dry. "P-please..." she wasn't about to cry now. She needed to stay strong and standing in front of him.

He was the one to worry now. Panic was written all over his face as he wondered in shock and horror what he did wrong. "Hinata, why are you crying?"

Hinata raised her hand to her face, and sure enough, tears unknowingly found their way down her cheeks. She wiped them off quickly. "Nothing, Naruto-kun. Just tell me what's bothering you. Let me help you." Though her voice didn't show it, her eyes were full of anticipation and hope. She was wishing with all she had that he wouldn't say anything to end what they had.

The intense gaze she gave him evoked the courage he needed to say what he had to say. "Hinata, I don't need help," he said, finally letting it out.

_Here it comes. But I don't want it to come at all_. "Y-yes?"

He didn't miss the stammer, but he chose to ignore it. He stepped closer, his face almost hovering over hers. "Hinata, I only need an answer."

_An answer?_ _For what?_

"Hinata, I just want you to know that…you're the best girlfriend I've ever had. O-of course, you're the only girlfriend I've ever had, b-but," he stammered, beads of sweat gathering from his forehead. "And, well…I don't know what I would do without you. I –" he thought for a moment, squeezing her hands. "…I would probably die."

She breathed in deep and slow. Naruto was normally not a romantic person. To Hinata, however, this was a whole lot better than what any other normally-romantic guy would have to say if _they_ confessed to her. She felt her eyes water a bit, and she smiled at him. "I feel the same way, Naruto-kun."

He gulped. "I don't know how to say this, and it would probably sound cheesier than it does in the movies and all, and I've even tried taking lessons from Jiraiya on how to do this right, but he sort of got the wrong idea, so I ditched him. Sakura and Ino tried to butt in, too, and the movies they made me watch were pretty stupid, but–"

"Naruto-kun," she interrupted. She wasn't so certain about what he wanted to say anymore, but she knew that it was something he wasn't comfortable talking about. "I'm not sure what you want to do, but it doesn't matter what you say or do…just so long as you be yourself." She smiled softly, her gaze loving and encouraging. "And I wouldn't have you any other way."

He returned her smile with one of his own, more confident than before. _She's right._ He left one of her hands to reach something from his pocket.

Her eyes widened as he kneeled down, his hands still searching in his pocket. _Oh my…is he going to…?_ She covered her mouth with her fingers as if to contain all the emotions running amuck inside of her.

He brought out a small velvet box and opened it with his thumb, showing off a golden ring with a small diamond on the center. She let tears flow out of her eyes. She wanted to tackle him to the ground and smother him with kisses then and there, but the question of a lifetime had yet to come.

"Hinata," Naruto started, "will you marry me?"

Naruto noticed her mouth opening, but nothing came out - just a choked "I…" and more tears from her eyes. _Shoot. Was it too soon?_ "Hinata-chan, I understand if you thi–"

"Yes!" Her knees buckled and gave away, but that didn't prevent her to do (somewhat) what she felt like doing. Naruto fell back with Hinata on top of him. She tackled and hugged him, placing her head on his shoulder. She let herself cry and laugh.

Naruto sighed into her hair, not particularly caring about their position. He wouldn't mind staying like that for a while...or an eternity. After caressing her hair for a few moments, he gently lifted her face up to dry her tears with his thumb. _I wouldn't have you any other way, either, Hinata-chan_. He raised his head and kissed her.

"Get a freakin' _room_!" someone yelled from a distance. They immediately looked up to find the owner of the voice, but found no one around. For a second there, however, it sounded like Ino, who was usually supportive of their relationship…when she, herself, was taken, that is. _She must've been dumped_, Naruto thought.

Hinata sat up to let Naruto stand. When he reached out to help her up, he was pulled down to sit against the tree beside her. "We should sit," she said mockingly, but sweetly. She rested her head on his shoulder as he held her hand.

"Mm, I almost forgot about this part." He took the ring from its box and placed it on her ring finger. She cuddled closer into his embrace as they stared at her hand.

Hinata, the soon-to-be Mrs. Uzumaki, wife of the Fifth Hokage's successor, simply could not take in all that has happened between the two of them thus far. All those wishes she had wished on stars as a genin were granted, her prayers answered, and so much more than she had ever hoped for. She turned her head to face him as he did the same.

"Guess what?" he whispered loudly.

"What?" she whispered back just as playfully.

"We're under _that_ tree."

Hinata lifted her head at that comment and looked up. She looked around to see a low, protruding branch from the tree's side. She smiled to herself. _I can't believe it. Why haven't I noticed before?_

He moved his face close to her ear and said, "The one from 3 years, 3 months, 3 days, and _4_ hours ago."

Hinata's eyes practically popped out of their sockets.


End file.
